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True that!

Sounds like you found an excellent setup for you! A bunch of people were raving about the Young Shine Dingtian on a big French forum so I have a sheet still in package I've been meaning to crack open. I'll wait for my W968 to get here and will boost it with Seamoon. Should be fun!

You seem to generate a lot of power on your own. Have you tried softer rubbers on your BH? T05 FX really helped me develop my backhand.

Do you use D09C on both sides?

I think you hit really hard, likely too hard, looks more like a hit than a brush / loop on both wings. Maybe you're trying to compensate for the blade not being crisp enough? On the FH, your elbow goes up and around every time, it should stay pointing down, control the elbow and use the...

I felt almost no difference between the 4 IF ALC's I had in the HL5, they all felt at least 2 notches slower and less reactive than a Viscaria (classic OFF blade). I'd still rate them OFF- but OFF- is a large range, and they're OFF minus minus in my view, while the YSE is an ALL+ at best (and a...

Yes, the feel of SALC is not as nice as that of ALC. I haven't seen too many pros adopting SALC, including Japanese players. I think it's important to take into account and not dismiss that most pros use blades that are thin and not that fast (for them) if you compare their blades to what else...

I don't know that the 2nd gen is necessarily faster, just a smaller head-size which makes it less still and more flexible, and allows for more racket speed. The core of W968 is thicker already, did they make it even thicker on the 2nd gen, I don't know, probably not.

They don't need more speed! They've got all the speed they need in their core, legs and technique. They want stability, feel and flexibility. If they wanted more speed, they would use faster rubbers.

An Inner ZLC doesn't have as much touch and feels more dead and mechanic, while the W968 feels more organic and offers more touch, gears and options.

I've used the IF ALC for a year in the past and 5-ply all-wood blades for years as well, the HL5 is quite slow in my opinion, almost ALL+, whereas the W968 is a definite OFF- with some OFF gears as well.

The W968 is definitely faster than the HL5, the 2 are very different in this aspect as well as the HL5 feeling somewhat hollow and a bit dead even more so than an IF ALC, while the W968's feel crisp with an excellent touch. I haven't received mine yet but having tried several W968 Prov and Nat...

My thought exactly!

Man, the all black/grey and the lighting does not look good. And the behind shots look like they're playing in the middle of an empty field.

For me personally, most blades that are thicker than 5.8mm feel too hard, I like to feel the ball and a blade 5.7mm or thinner usually has more feel and is more flexible. I also tend to favor a limba top ply (softer) then koto (harder).

Hater! 😂

Thank you very much for this Andrea! This is useful. I personally can't by a blade without knowing its thickness first. Can you also share the composition for each of these blades?

Great useful list and reviews, thanks for this Michael! I might have to try your top 3 for FH and BH in the future!

Oh hey, I recognize you, I also play at LATTA! Cool IG, many familiar faces and friends!

Der, when are you coming down to LA to play? I didn't see you at the LA Open and I didn't make it to the US Open.